Thursday, July 21, 2016

Snopes, and whatnot

Campers, this is a beautiful, amazing time to live in. We forget that. It's too easy to become accustomed to things. But stop and think. We have an immeasurable breadth of information available to us as quickly as it takes you to ask "How tall was Warren G. Harding?" I can talk to my phone. In fact, as I typed this, I asked my phone, which is sitting on the coffee table this very question. Turns out the man was 6'0" and had an amazing middle name.

Sadly, though, in this day an age, the amount of misinformation grows at the same rate as legit info. If not faster.

This is compounded by the fact that there are those among us who see Boogeymen everywhere. This is not new. We have seen an Enemy nearly as long as there have been people. The sad fact is, though, there are some who have to see Boogeymen. Because it's easier. Because it helps them sleep at night. Because it's easier to say that the Boogeyman is Holding Me Down than it is to try harder, think harder and work harder.

At the end of the day, you don't have to believe everything on Snopes.com. In fact, you don't have to believe everything anybody says or writes. It's good to have filters. It's good to be skeptical.

I guess that's my point, standing up here on my Soapbox. If you can find it in yourself to be skeptical about Snopes.com's intent and backing, then find it in yourself to be skeptical about the news story that FEMA is preparing coffins for some Illuminati-inspired calamity, or that Barry HUSSEIN Obama is looking to declare martial law to declare himself God King and Grand Poobah for Life of Americaland.

Another way I might say it: Keep an open mind. The fact of the matter is: we all deal with a measure of confirmation bias. We're in a difficult world with a lot of information being flung at us. Sometimes, it's impossible not to look for something we agree with. Still, take some time to read up on the opposing viewpoints. Try to read some stuff by people you might disagree with. Don't look only for the articles that agree that the Designated Hitter is bad. Read the other stuff, if for no other reason than to de-boogeyman the argument.

In closing, the sentiment about walking away from the argument is strong. It reminds me of one of my favorite lines that I am likely misquoting: arguing with a fool is like wrestling with a pig: even if you win, the pig won't understand and just enjoyed the attention.